The Ledes

Saturday, September 28, 2024

Washington Post: “Rescue teams raced to submerged homes, scoured collapsed buildings and steered thousands from overflowing dams as Helene carved a destructive path Friday, knocking out power and flooding a vast arc of communities across the southeastern United States. At least 40 people were confirmed killed in five states since the storm made landfall late Thursday as a Category 4 behemoth, unleashing record-breaking storm surge and tree-snapping gusts. 4 million homes and businesses have lost electricity across Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas, prompting concerns that outages could drag on for weeks. Mudslides closed highways. Water swept over roofs and snapped phone lines. Houses vanished from their foundations. Tornadoes added to the chaos. The mayor of hard-hit Canton, N.C., called the scene 'apocalyptic.'” An AP report is here.

The Wires
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The Ledes

Friday, September 27, 2024

New York Times: “Maggie Smith, one of the finest British stage and screen actors of her generation, whose award-winning roles ranged from a freethinking Scottish schoolteacher in 'The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie' to the acid-tongued dowager countess on 'Downton Abbey,' died on Friday in London. She was 89.”

The Washington Post's live updates of developments related to Hurricane Helene are here: “Hurricane Helene left one person dead in Florida and two in Georgia as it sped north. One of the biggest storms on record to hit the Gulf Coast, Helene slammed into Florida’s Big Bend area on Thursday night as a Category 4 colossus with winds of up to 140 mph before weakening to Category 1. Catastrophic winds and torrential rain from the storm — which the National Hurricane Center forecast would eventually slow over the Tennessee Valley — were expected to continue Friday across the Southeast and southern Appalachians.” ~~~

     ~~~ The New York Times' live updates are here.

Mediaite: “Fox Weather’s Bob Van Dillen was reporting live on Fox & Friends about flooding in Atlanta from Hurricane Helene when he was interrupted by the screams of a woman trapped in her car. During the 7 a.m. hour, Van Dillen was filing a live report on the massive flooding in the area. Fox News viewers could clearly hear the urgent screams for help emerging from a car stuck on a flooded road in the background of the live shot. Van Dillen ... told Fox & Friends that 911 had been called and that the local Fire Department was on its way. But as he continued to file the report, the screams did not stop, so Van Dillen cut the live shot short.... Some 10 minutes later, Fox & Friends aired live footage of Van Dillen carrying the woman to safety, waking through chest-deep water while the flooding engulfed her car in the background[.]”

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The New York Times lists Emmy winners. The AP has an overview story here.

New York Times: “Hvaldimir, a beluga whale who had captured the public’s imagination since 2019 after he was spotted wearing a harness seemingly designed for a camera, was found dead on Saturday in Norway, according to a nonprofit that worked to protect the whale.... [Hvaldimir] was wearing a harness that identified it as “equipment” from St. Petersburg. There also appeared to be a camera mount. Some wondered if the whale was on a Russian reconnaissance mission. Russia has never claimed ownership of the whale. If Hvaldimir was a spy, he was an exceptionally friendly one. The whale showed signs of domestication, and was comfortable around people. He remained in busier waters than are typical for belugas....” ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Oh, Lord, do not let Bobby Kennedy, Jr., near that carcass. ~~~

     ~~~ AP Update: “There’s no evidence that a well-known beluga whale that lived off Norway’s coast and whose harness ignited speculation it was a Russian spy was shot to death last month as claimed by animal rights groups, Norwegian police said Monday.... Police said that the Norwegian Veterinary Institute conducted a preliminary autopsy on the animal, which was become known as 'Hvaldimir,' combining the Norwegian word for whale — hval — and the first name of Russian President Vladimir Putin. 'There are no findings from the autopsy that indicate that Hvaldimir has been shot,' police said in a statement.”

New York Times: Botswana's “President Mokgweetsi Masisi grinned as he lifted the diamond, a 2,492-carat stone that is the biggest diamond unearthed in more than a century and the second-largest ever found, according to the Vancouver-based mining operator Lucara, which owns the mine where it was found. This exceptional discovery could bring back the luster of the natural diamond mining industry, mining companies and experts say. The diamond was discovered in the same relatively small mine in northeastern Botswana that has produced several of the largest such stones in living memory. Such gemstones typically surface as a result of volcanic activity.... The diamond will likely sell in the range of tens of millions of dollars....”

Click on photo to enlarge.

~~~ Guardian: "On a distant reef 16,000km from Paris, surfer Gabriel Medina has given Olympic viewers one of the most memorable images of the Games yet, with an airborne celebration so well poised it looked too good to be true. The Brazilian took off a thundering wave at Teahupo’o in Tahiti on Monday, emerging from a barrelling section before soaring into the air and appearing to settle on a Pacific cloud, pointing to the sky with biblical serenity, his movements mirrored precisely by his surfboard. The shot was taken by Agence France-Presse photographer Jérôme Brouillet, who said “the conditions were perfect, the waves were taller than we expected”. He took the photo while aboard a boat nearby, capturing the surreal image with such accuracy that at first some suspected Photoshop or AI." 

Washington Post: “'Mary Cassatt at Work' is a large and mostly satisfying exhibition devoted to the career of the great American artist beloved for her sensitive and often sentimental views of family life. The 'at work' in the title of the Philadelphia Museum of Art show references the curators’ interest in Cassatt’s pioneering effort to establish herself as a professional artist within a male-dominated field. Throughout the show, which includes some 130 paintings, pastels, prints and drawings, the wall text and the art on view stresses Cassatt’s fixation on art as a career rather than a pastime.... Mary Cassatt at Work is on view at the Philadelphia Museum of Art through Sept. 8. philamuseum.org”

New York Times: “Bob Newhart, who died on Thursday at the age of 94, has been such a beloved giant of popular culture for so long that it’s easy to forget how unlikely it was that he became one of the founding fathers of stand-up comedy. Before basically inventing the hit stand-up special, with the 1960 Grammy-winning album 'The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart' — that doesn’t even count his pay-per-view event broadcast on Canadian television that some cite as the first filmed special — he was a soft-spoken accountant who had never done a set in a nightclub. That he made a classic with so little preparation is one of the great miracles in the history of comedy.... Bob Newhart holds up. In fact, it’s hard to think of a stand-up from that era who is a better argument against the commonplace idea that comedy does not age well.”

Washington Post: “An early Titian masterpiece — once looted by Napolean’s troops and a part of royal collections for centuries — caused a stir when it was stolen from the home of a British marquess in 1995. Seven years later, it was found inside an unassuming white and blue plastic bag at a bus stop in southwest London by an art detective, and returned. This week, the oil painting 'The Rest on the Flight into Egypt' sold for more than $22 million at Christie’s. It was a record for the Renaissance artist, whom museums describe as the greatest painter of 16th-century Venice. Ahead of the sale in April, the auction house billed it as 'the most important work by Titian to come to the auction market in more than a generation.'”

Washington Post: The Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C., which houses the world's largest collection of Shakespeare material, has undergone a major renovation. "The change to the building is pervasive, both subtle and transformational."

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Wednesday
Mar152023

March 16, 2023

Afternoon Update:

Marie: Gosh, I've missed hearing from Miss Margie for about two days. She back. With a bomb. ~~~

     ~~~ Sandbagged. Aaron Blake of the Washington Post: "On Tuesday, [Marjorie Taylor] Greene and a GOP colleague floated sending the U.S. military south while citing ... [an 'explosive device' U.S. Border Patrol had found]. At a field hearing of the House Homeland Security Committee near the Texas-Mexico border, multiple Republicans pointed to the alleged explosive device. 'Chief Ortiz, are you aware that there was an explosive device found by border patrol agents on no man, in an area called no man's land?' Greene asked Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz. Rep. Morgan Luttrell (R-Tex.) cited 'this explosive device that was discovered by one of you border patrol agents.' Rep. Dale W. Strong (R-Ala.) labeled it an 'improvised explosive device being used against U.S. law enforcement.' Greene also tweeted a picture of the 'explosive,' accusing Mexican cartels of 'planting bombs.' Ortiz ... and another witness even seemed unfamiliar with what the Republicans were talking about. But by Wednesday afternoon, Ortiz tweeted that the item was merely a 'duct-taped ball filled with sand.'" Luttrell complained later that agents did not properly report the bomb. MB: I guess not. Finding a bag of sand, even one wrapped in duct tape, in a sandy desert probably doesn't merit an all-points bulletin.

Rebecca Crosby, et al., of Popular Information: "Tuesday night on Fox News, host Jesse Watters asserted that Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) 'donated $74 million to Black Lives Matter.' That was why, Watters claimed, federal regulators did not pursue more aggressive oversight of SVB's business practices. According to this theory, SVB was treated with kid gloves because it was 'woke.' Watters' claim is false. The actual amount that SVB donated to Black Lives Matter was zero. But that didn't stop similar claims from being made repeatedly on Fox News, conservative websites, and social media.... The [fake] reports are based on a database produced by the right-wing Claremont Institute." The reporters explain how Claremont came up with fake numbers.

Victoria Bekiempis of the Guardian: "Federal prosecutors in Washington have reportedly told court officials a thousand more people could be charged in relation to the deadly January 6 Capitol attack. Matthew Graves, the US attorney in Washington DC, sent a one-page letter to the chief judge of Washington DC federal court, apprising her of the potential deluge of defendants, Bloomberg News reported.... Graves said in the letter that justice department officials estimated that another 700 to 1,200 defendants could face charges.... The prosecutor also said he did not know the exact proportion of misdemeanor and felony cases to come but thought there would be a larger proportion of felonies, Bloomberg said."

Virginia. Carry Me Back to Old Virginny. Christine Hauser of the New York Times: ";A Virginia judge relied in part on a 19th century law that defined enslaved people as property in a recent decision to allow a divorced woman to pursue using embryos that she shared with her former husband -- a ruling that has drawn criticism.... 'It is logically possible that he could treat [sharing the embryos] as a distribution of property, but he doesn't have to go into the slave law. So that was a jump, [U.C. Davis bioethics professor Lisa] Ikemoto said. 'In a sense, he is reviving the use of a law that treated humans as property, in the 21st century. It is reprehensible and offensive.'"

France. Sylvie Corbet of the AP: "French President Emmanuel Macron imposed a highly unpopular bill raising the retirement age from 62 to 64 on Thursday by shunning parliament and invoking a special constitutional power. Lawmakers were shouting, their voices shaking with emotion as Macron made the risky move, which is expected to trigger quick motions of no-confidence in his government. Riot police vans zoomed by outside the National Assembly, their sirens wailing. The proposed pension changes have prompted major strikes and protests across the country since January. Macron, who made it the flagship of his second term, argued the reform is needed to keep the pension system from diving into deficit as France's population ages and life expectancy lengthens. The decision to invoke the special power was made during a Cabinet meeting at the Elysee presidential palace, just a few minutes before the scheduled vote, because Macron had no guarantee of a majority in France's lower house of parliament." The Washington Post's story is here.

Libya. Euan Ward of the New York Times: "More than 2.5 tons of natural uranium is missing from a site in war-torn Libya, the director general of the U.N. nuclear watchdog said on Wednesday, telling member states that the agency was searching for the material. The uranium ore itself poses little radiation hazard, said Sinead Harvey, a spokeswoman for the U.N. watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency. But she said the material, contained in 10 drums, still requires safe handling and may present 'a radiological risk as well as nuclear security concerns' if it were not found. The nuclear material was discovered to be missing on Tuesday during an inspection in Libya by the U.N. watchdog, Ms. Harvey said."

Ukraine, et al. AP: "Poland's president said Thursday that his country plans to give Ukraine around a dozen MiG-29 fighter jets, which would make it the first NATO member to fulfill the Ukrainian government's increasingly urgent requests for warplanes. President Andrzej Duda said Poland would hand over four of the Soviet-made warplanes 'within the next few days' and that the rest needed servicing and would be supplied later. The Polish word he used to describe the total number can mean between 11 and 19. 'They are in the last years of their functioning, but they are in good working condition,' Duda said of the aircraft." The Washington Post's story is here.

Luis Martinez of ABC News: "U.S. European Command has released dramatic declassified video taken by the MQ-9 Reaper drone that shows the moment that a Russian Su-27 fighter jet collided with it after attempting to spray the drone with jet fuel. The video was taken from a camera on the drone's underside and shows two different passes taken by the jets to spray the drone, the second one being the collision with the propeller at the rear of the drone, which is visible in the footage.... Communications with the drone were down for a minute [where] the image can be seen pixelating into color bars.... When the video feed resumed one of the propeller blades can be seen damaged from the collision with the Russian fighter. ~~~

U.K. Stephen Castle of the New York Times: "Britain on Thursday became the latest Western country to prohibit the use of TikTok on 'government devices,' citing security fears linked to the video-sharing app's ownership by a Chinese company. Speaking in Parliament, Oliver Dowden, a senior cabinet minister, announced the ban with immediate effect, describing it as 'precautionary,' even though the United States, the European Union's executive arm, Canada and India have already taken similar steps."

~~~~~~~~~~

Matt Viser of the Washington Post: "President Biden on Wednesday touted his administration's policies on lowering the cost of prescription drugs and helping recipients of Medicare and Medicaid, programs that have become a major topic of debate as Republicans look for significant budget cuts to trim growing federal deficits. Biden also ramped up his defense of the Affordable Care Act, pointing to the dozens of times Republicans have tried to repeal the signature law signed by President Barack Obama.... Biden spoke on campus [at the University of Nevada in Las Vegas] with a group of medical professionals, dressed in lab coats and scrubs...."

Luz Lazo of the Washington Post: "A federal board on Wednesday approved a Canadian Pacific Railway merger with Kansas City Southern, creating a freight rail system linking North America. The deal is the nation's first major rail merger in more than two decades. The Surface Transportation Board, charged with regulating freight companies, said the merger will foster growth of rail traffic, support passenger operations and shift freight from highways to rail, ultimately resulting in greater safety and benefits to the environment.... The STB had been pressured to defer the decision amid public outcry over increased rail traffic and safety risks from a combined network -- concerns that were heightened last month after a Norfolk Southern train derailment released toxic fumes in northeastern Ohio. The combined company, to be called Canadian Pacific Kansas City, will connect the United States, Mexico and Canada and cover more than 20,000 miles of track -- including 8,600 miles in the United States."

The Clock Ticks on TikTok. David McCabe & Cecilia Kang of the New York Times: "The Biden administration wants TikTok's Chinese ownership to sell the app or face a possible ban, TikTok said on Wednesday, as the White House hardens its stance toward resolving national security concerns about the popular video service. The new demand to sell the app was delivered to TikTok in recent weeks.... TikTok is owned by the Chinese internet company ByteDance. The move is a significant shift in the Biden administration's position toward TikTok, which has been under scrutiny over fears that Beijing could request Americans' data from the app. The White House had been trying to negotiate an agreement with TikTok that would apply new safeguards to its data and eliminate a need for ByteDance to sell its shares in the app. But the demand for a sale ... harks back to the position of ... Donald J. Trump, who threatened to ban TikTok unless it was sold to an American company." An NPR story is here.

Annie Karni & Shawn Hubler of the New York Times: "The Senate on Wednesday confirmed Eric Garcetti, the former mayor of Los Angeles, to be the U.S. ambassador to India, ending a two-year saga that left a top diplomatic post vacant amid allegations that he mishandled workplace misconduct and sexual harassment. Mr. Garcetti was confirmed by a vote of 52 to 42, with a few Democratic senators who had expressed deep reservations voting 'no' but several more Republicans voting in favor of moving forward, effectively saving Mr. Garcetti's bid from collapse. It was a victory for President Biden, who stuck by his political ally in the face of the allegations and the prolonged process that has left the United States without a permanent envoy in one of the world's most populous and geopolitically important democracies." An AP story is here.

Joe Rennison & Jason Karaian of the New York Times: "Stock markets tumbled on Wednesday, as investors fears over the health of the banking industry resurfaced and spread around the world, undoing a rally on Tuesday when the panic appeared to pause. On Wall Street, the S&P 500 fell 1.6 percent at the open of trading, reversing all of the previous day's gains. European markets were also hard hit, with stocks of many of the region's biggest banks falling sharply, as anxiety persists about the fallout from the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank, which were seized by regulators after suffering devastating runs on deposits. The catalyst for the day's turmoil appeared to be Credit Suisse, the mistake-prone Swiss bank that has struggled for years to turn around its fortunes, with customers steadily shifting their assets to rival banks. It recorded the most eye-catching decline, with its shares losing roughly 30 percent, setting yet another record low. On Wednesday, the bank's largest shareholder, Saudi National Bank, ruled out providing more money for Credit Suisse as it struggles with its latest turnaround plan." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Michael de la Merced & Maureen Farrell of the New York Times: "Credit Suisse, the 166-year-old institution that was once an emblem of Swiss pride, is fighting for its life after investors, fearing that the bank would run out of money, dumped its stock and sent the price of insuring its debt against a default skyrocketing. After the close of trading in Europe, Switzerland's central bank, the Swiss National Bank, said it would step in and provide support to Credit Suisse 'if necessary.' Early Thursday, Credit Suisse said it would borrow up to 50 billion Swiss francs, or about $54 billion, from the Swiss National Bank to ward off concerns about its financial health. The bank also said it would seek to buy back debt of up to 3 billion Swiss francs." ~~~

     ~~~ Elliot Smith of CNBC: "Credit Suisse shares soared more than 30% at Thursday's market open after the bank said it will borrow up to 50 billion Swiss francs ($54 billion) from the Swiss National Bank. The stock's rally cooled slightly in early trading, but shares were still up 21.8% at 10 a.m. London time (6 a.m. ET)."


** Tamar Hallerman & Bill Rankin of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution: "In an exclusive interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, five of the 23 special grand jurors recounted what it was like to be a pivotal -- but anonymous -- part of one of the most momentous criminal investigations in U.S. history.... [The jurors said] that they had heard a recording of a phone call [Donald] Trump placed to late Georgia House Speaker David Ralston in which the president asked the fellow Republican to convene a special session of the Legislature to overturn Democrat Joe Biden's narrow victory in Georgia.... The speaker 'basically cut the president off. He said, "I will do everything in my power that I think is appropriate."... He just basically took the wind out of the sails,' [a] juror said.... Ralston and other legislative leaders did not call a special session.... [Former. Sen. David] Perdue, a key Trump ally, was asked about a meeting at Truist Park in December 2020, during which he told Gov. Brian Kemp he wanted the legislature to convene a special session to challenge Biden's victory, a juror said....

"Two of the jurors estimated that as many as 10 witnesses invoked their Fifth Amendment rights, some doing so even when asked to describe their education.... Among the most compelling witnesses, various jurors said, were Fulton County poll workers Ruby Freeman and her daughter Shaye Moss, who had received death threats after being singled out by Trump and his then-attorney Rudy Giuliani. Another mentioned Eric Coomer, the onetime executive for Dominion Voting Systems, who left his job after being vilified. Also mentioned was Tricia Raffensperger, the wife of Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, who broke down when describing the vitriol and threats leveled at her, one juror said.... One juror said she would cry in her car at the end of the day after hearing from witnesses whose lives had been upended by disinformation and claims of election fraud.... [One juror said, 'I tell my wife if every person in America knew every single word of information we knew, this country would not be divided as it is right now.'... 'A lot's gonna come out sooner or later,' one of the jurors said. 'And it's gonna be massive. It's gonna be massive.'" Firewalled. If you can't access the AJC story, digby has most of it here. ~~~

~~~ A CNN story about Trump's phone call to Ralston is here.

Nicki Brown of CNN: "Michael Cohen, the former personal attorney to ex-President Donald Trump, testified Wednesday afternoon in front of a New York grand jury as part of an investigation into hush money payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels.... Cohen testified for 'a couple' of hours Wednesday following about three hours of testimony on Monday, according to his attorney, Lanny Davis.... Daniels, meanwhile, met with prosecutors with the Manhattan district attorney's office Wednesday, according to a tweet sent by her attorney."

Kyle Cheney & Jordain Carney of Politico: "Newly released video of the Capitol attack shows just how close rioters came to a senior GOP senator who was third in line for the presidency on Jan. 6, 2021. The footage, released after media requests to access videos used in connection with a Jan. 6 criminal case, shows the apparent evacuation of Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) from the Senate chamber as a uniformed officer separates him and his security detail from the first wave of rioters who had breached the building.... The video, taken by a rioter who entered the Capitol moments after the breach..., shows the Proud Boy [Dominic Pezzola] gazing past the police officer at the evacuating senator, though it's unclear if he recognized Grassley.... The footage is the latest example of how close powerful government figures came to a direct brush with the mob of ... Donald Trump's supporters.... The footage also underscores the possibility of more significant revelations about Jan. 6 sitting in the thousands of hours of security camera video that Speaker Kevin McCarthy has indicated he intends to release publicly...."

Benjamin Weiser of the New York Times: "Guo Wengui, a fugitive Chinese billionaire, was arrested on Wednesday morning in New York on charges that he orchestrated a complex conspiracy to defraud thousands of his online followers out of $1 billion, the authorities said. Federal prosecutors in Manhattan said Mr. Guo, 52, was charged with 'lining his pockets with the money he stole,' which they said included buying for himself and his close relatives a 50,000-square-foot mansion, a $3.5 million Ferrari and two $36,000 mattresses, as well as financing a $37 million luxury yacht. Mr. Guo is a business associate of Stephen K. Bannon, a onetime top adviser to ... Donald J. Trump. It was on a yacht belonging to Mr. Guo that Mr. Bannon was arrested in a fraud case in August 2020; Mr. Trump later pardoned Mr. Bannon, who had pleaded not guilty, on those charges." The ABC News story is here. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Rebecca O'Brien & William Rashbaum of the New York Times: "A $19 million luxury yacht deal brokered by Representative George Santos between two of his wealthy donors has captured the attention of federal and state authorities investigating the congressman's campaign finances and personal business dealings.... Prosecutors and F.B.I. agents have sought in recent weeks to question the new owner of the 141-foot superyacht -- Raymond Tantillo, a Long Island auto dealer -- about the boat and his dealings with Mr. Santos, including his campaign fund-raising efforts. Mr. Tantillo bought the boat from Mayra Ruiz, a Republican donor in Miami. Mr. Santos negotiated the payment -- $12.25 million up front, with $6.5 million more in installments -- and advised the two on the logistics of turning over the yacht, according to a person familiar with the sale, which took place a few weeks before his election in November." MB: At least we know now where the previously-impoverished George Anthony got some of his money. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Pam Belluck & Allison McCann of the New York Times: "The judge in a closely watched lawsuit seeking to overturn federal approval of a widely used abortion pill questioned lawyers publicly for the first time on Wednesday.... The judge.Matthew J. Kacsmaryk of the Northern District of Texas, said he would decide as soon as possible whether to issue a preliminary injunction that could, at least temporarily, take the pill, mifepristone, off the market.... Julie Straus Harris, [a lawyer for the Justice Department said], 'An injunction here would interfere with every state in the country' and could make abortion access difficult even in cases of nonviable pregnancies and rape." ~~~

     ~~~ Tierney Sneed of CNN: "Over the course of about four hours of arguments, a federal judge in Texas asked questions that suggested he is seriously considering undoing the US Food and Drug Administration's approval of a medication abortion drug and the agency's moves to relax the rules around its use. But the judge, US District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk ... also indicated he was thinking through scenarios in which he could keep the drug's 2000 approval intact while blocking other FDA rules.... Here are takeaways from the hearing[.]" ~~~

     ~~~ Lindsay Whitehurst of the AP: "The case has raised concerns about court transparency and so-called judge shopping.... Research shows that medication-induced abortions are safe and effective, and they were approved by the Food and Drug Administration more than 20 years ago.... The suit was filed in Amarillo, Texas, which meant that it was assigned to U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk, a former attorney at a Christian law firm who previously wrote critically about Roe. He was appointed by ... Donald Trump and confirmed over fierce opposition from Democrats. Medication is the most common form of abortion in the U.S.... If Kacsmaryk reverses the approval of mifepristone, it could restrict access nationwide. Such a ruling would be an unprecedented challenge to the FDA.... An appeal would go to the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, which also leans conservative.... The volume of cases filed before Kacsmaryk and other Texas judges has raised concerns [about judge-shopping] among experts.... Kacsmaryk set the first hearing in the closely watched case on a conference call with attorneys. He also asked them to for the 'courtesy' of not publicizing the upcoming arguments...."

Rachel Cohen of Vox: "Earlier this month, Politico broke news that Walgreens, the nation's second-largest pharmacy chain, assured 21 Republican attorneys general that it would not dispense abortion pills in their states should the company be approved to dispense them. The decision was met with sharp protest by Walgreens customers, abortion rights activists, and Democrats, who accused the pharmacy of caving needlessly to pressure. But fear of state prosecution is not the only factor shaping Walgreens' decision-making. Another previously unreported constraint on the company is that its sole supplier of Mifeprex -- the brand-name drug for the abortion pill mifepristone first approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2000 -- circulated a list to its corporate clients in January naming 31 states that it would not supply the abortion medication to.... The sole US distributor for Mifeprex is AmerisourceBergen.... Back in January, AmerisourceBergen created its list of 31 states.... Representatives from CVS and Rite Aid, which like Walgreens said they would seek certification, have remained conspicuously quiet on the issue for the last two weeks, and did not return requests for comment." So Walgreens' "decision" not to distribute mifepristone is based on its inability to obtain the drug. And if the reporting is accurate, that would mean that CBS & Rite Aid can't get the drug either. Emphasis added.

Julie Tsirkin, et al. of NBC News: "Sensitive information has been posted online from last week's 'significant data breach' of the health insurance marketplace for Washington, D.C., that affected members of Congress, according to Senate staffers briefed on the hack. In an email to Senate offices, staffers from the Intelligence Committee said they 'learned that breached information is already up on one of the big hacker breach sites.'... The information is 'easily accessible to folks who know how to look for it,' and it 'includes name, address, [Social Security number], [date of birth], desk phone number, what plan you signed up for, and how much your monthly contribution is.'"

Presidential Race 2024. Hahahahaha. Michael Bender of the New York Times: "Donald J. Trump spent much of the past year teasing a presidential campaign..., promising his rally crowds for months that they would be 'very happy' about his [decision on making another presidential* run]. Now, Mr. Trump's allies are accusing Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida of doing the same -- but insisting that he has violated state law. MAGA Inc., a super PAC supporting Mr. Trump, filed a complaint with Florida officials on Wednesday, alleging that Mr. DeSantis ... is operating a shadow presidential campaign. The super PAC said that Mr. DeSantis should be considered a presidential candidate because he has taken meetings with donors, raised money for a political committee and toured the country to sell books, while allies are reaching out to potential campaign aides.... The pro-Trump super PAC ... is asking the state commission to impose 'the most severe penalties' under Florida ethics law, which include, among other things, impeachment, removal from office, public censure and ballot disqualification.... Mr. DeSantis has appointed five of the nine members of the commission."

Dino Grandoni of the Washington Post: "The National Audubon Society, one of the country's best-known bird conservation organizations, decided in a closed-door vote this week to retain the name of John James Audubon, famed 19th-century naturalist and wildlife illustrator who was also an unabashed enslaver. The move comes even as about half-a-dozen of the organization's regional chapters have pledged to scrub his name from their titles, part of a broader reckoning over the U.S. environmental movement's history of entrenched racism.... Susan Bell, chair of the board, declined to provide a breakdown of the final vote [of the 27-person board]." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Annals of "Journalism," Ctd. Dan Rosenzweig-Ziff & Sonia Rao of the Washington Post: "An Axios reporter [-- Ben Montgomery --] in Tampa said he was fired this week after he responded to a Florida Department of Education email about an event featuring Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), calling the news release 'propaganda.'" MB: I will seldom be linking Axios items in the future. This is why. ~~~

     ~~~ Hunter Walker, in TPM interviews Ben Montgomery: "In a conversation with TPM, Montgomery said he felt the situation was an example of how the DeSantis" media 'machine' was impacting the news business.... Montgomery [emailed] DeSantis' press office a message that said, 'This is propaganda, not a press release.' Alex Lanfranconi, a spokesperson for the Florida Department of Education, publicized the exchange less than an hour later by tweeting a screengrab of Montgomery's message."

Beyond the Betway

Michigan. Lauren Gurley of the Washington Post: "The Michigan Senate approved a bill to repeal the state's right-to-work laws in a major victory for organized labor, setting the state up to become one of the first to overturn such laws, which allow workers to opt out of union membership and dues payments. In a narrow 20-17 vote on Tuesday, along party lines, the Michigan Senate passed the bill to revoke the state's right-to-work laws, sending it back to the state's House for final approval. The House voted to pass a similar law last week, but must sign off on final language. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) has said she will sign the bill."

Michigan. John Flesher & Ed White of the AP: "A Wisconsin man accused of assisting the key figures in a plot to kidnap Michigan's governor pleaded guilty Wednesday to a lesser charge and will cooperate with prosecutors. Brian Higgins said he attempted to provide material support for terrorism, a crime that carries a maximum prison term of five years. He drove past Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's second home in Antrim County in 2020 while allies waited across a lake for a signal from his laser-style device. Higgins was among five men scheduled to face trial later this year in northern Michigan. They were not charged in the kidnapping conspiracy but were accused of providing key support."

Minnesota. Marie: I'm so glad this Republican state senator doesn't have to sully himself rubbing shoulders with "the poors":

Virginia. Eduardo Medina of the New York Times: "Seven sheriff's deputies in Virginia have been charged with second-degree murder in the death of a Black man with a history of mental illness who died after the officers smothered him as he lay on the ground in handcuffs and leg shackles at a hospital, his family's lawyer and a county prosecutor said on Wednesday. The man, Irvo Otieno, 28, of Henrico County, Va., whose family emigrated from Kenya when he was 4 years old, appeared to have died from asphyxiation, or oxygen deficiency, on March 6 at Central State Hospital in Dinwiddie County, his family's lawyer, Mark Krudys, said in an interview. His family says Mr. Otieno was deprived of medication while in jail that he needed for his mental illness."

Way Beyond

France. Aurelien Breeden of the New York Times: "After waves of protests and rolling strikes that disrupted public transportation and left garbage piling up, all eyes were on the French Parliament on Thursday as it prepared to vote on a measure to increase the retirement age by two years. President Emmanuel Macron's widely unpopular plans to raise the retirement age reached a critical juncture as they came up for a decisive parliamentary vote that could be extremely close. It caps a two-month showdown between the French government and labor unions that is testing Mr. Macron's political agenda." ~~~

     ~~~ Constant Méheut of the New York Times: "Hundreds of thousands of French protesters on Wednesday swarmed cities across the country, and striking workers disrupted rail lines and closed schools to protest the government's plan to raise the legal retirement age, in a final show of force before the contested bill comes to a vote on Thursday. The march -- the eighth such national mobilization in two months -- and strikes embodied the showdown between two apparently unyielding forces: President Emmanuel Macron, who has been unwavering in his resolve to overhaul pensions, and large crowds of protesters who have vowed to continue the fight even if the bill to raise the retirement age to 64 from 62 passes Parliament -- which many believe it will.... On Wednesday, a joint committee of lawmakers from both houses of Parliament agreed on a joint version of the pension bill, sending it to a vote on Thursday."

Israel. Isabel Kershner of the New York Times: "The president of Israel presented a compromise proposal on Wednesday for softening a government plan to drastically overhaul the country's judiciary -- a plan that critics say would destroy the country's liberal democratic system and that has sent hundreds of thousands of protesters into the streets in recent weeks. But Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected the president's framework, reducing any likelihood of an immediate end to the country's turmoil. In an impassioned speech broadcast live in prime time on Wednesday evening, the president, Isaac Herzog, said Israel was 'in the throes of a profound crisis' and raised the specter of civil war. Israelis have been taking to the streets in rolling protests against the government/s plan."

Japan/South Korea. Michelle Lee of the Washington Post: "South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol will meet with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Thursday in Tokyo, the first such summit in 12 years as the two biggest U.S. allies in Asia make cautious steps toward rapprochement after years of bitter lows in the relationship.... The summit is a reflection of South Korea's new priority of overcoming historical differences and strengthening security and diplomatic cooperation with Japan and the United States as the three seek to unite against increasing threats from North Korea and China."

Ukraine, et al.

The New York Times' live updates of developments Thursday in Russia's war on Ukraine are here. ~~~

     ~~~ The Washington Post's live briefing for Thursday is here: "Russia is attempting to retrieve the remnants of the U.S. surveillance drone that crashed into the Black Sea after a run-in with Russian warplanes amid reports that Moscow's ships had approached the site of the crash early Thursday -- approximately 56 nautical miles southwest of Crimea's southern tip. U.S. officials blamed the crash on two Russian jets dumping fuel on the drone and later colliding with a propeller on its rear, and said they were investigating its causes. 'We'll be in close coordination with allies and partners at the conclusion of the investigation,' Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters Wednesday on a trip to Ethiopia.... Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Gen. Mark A. Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, spoke to their counterparts in Russia, in what was the first contact between the two militaries in months. In a news conference Wednesday, Milley said the drone incident followed a pattern of recent behavior by Russia, which included aggressive actions toward aircraft from other nations. 'We have to figure out exactly what the way ahead is,' he said. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu blamed the crash on the drone entering a flight restriction zone unilaterally designated by Russia, he told Austin on the telephone according to a Russian Defense Ministry statement....  Austin said the U.S. military would 'continue to fly and operate wherever international law allows,' noting that the incident took place in international airspace in remarks Wednesday.... Russia, China and Iran are holding joint maritime exercises in the Gulf of Oman until March 19, the Chinese Defense Ministry said Wednesday."

Courtney Kube & Carol Lee of NBC News: "Three U.S. officials familiar with the intelligence said the highest levels of the Kremlin approved the aggressive actions of Russian military fighter jets against a U.S. military drone over the Black Sea on Tuesday. The Russian jets dropped jet fuel on the MQ-9 Reaper, an unprecedented action, and two of the officials said the intelligence suggests the intent seemed to be to throw the drone off course or disable its surveillance capabilities.... Three defense officials and one Biden administration official also said the Russians have already reached the area where the MQ-9 Reaper crashed. The Russians are actively looking for the debris with ships and aircraft, but the U.S. hasn't seen any indication that they've been able to recover any of it, officials said.... The U.S. is unlikely to try to recover the remnants of the crashed drone, according to the three U.S. officials familiar with the intelligence."

Haley Ott of CBS News: "Ukraine has invited Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to visit the country after he called the war there a "territorial dispute" and not one of the United States' "vital national interests."... 'We are sure that as a former military officer deployed to a combat zone, Governor [Ron DeSantis] knows the difference between a "dispute" and war,' Oleg Nikolenko, a spokesperson for Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, tweeted on Tuesday."

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Reader Comments (4)

From a NYT's story re: Shoni Schimmel:

“Her and her sister, I think, have made all of Indian Country so proud, so we really appreciate it,” Barack Obama, then the commander and basketball player in chief, said at the 2015 panel discussion."

Really? Obama? don't think so.

March 16, 2023 | Unregistered CommenterP.D.Pepe

@P.D. Pepe: The story you reference is here. Other than the allegation that President Obama made a glaring grammatical error (which we all often do when speaking), I'm not sure why you question the story's veracity, at least in this particular.

March 16, 2023 | Registered CommenterMarie Burns

Marie: Just thought Obama would not have made that mistake.

March 16, 2023 | Unregistered CommenterP.D.Pepe

@P.D.Pepe: Judging from what I've heard over the years, pronouns -- especially combined pronouns -- are among the trickiest parts of the English language to master, even for (or maybe especially for) native speakers.

On top of that, Obama was a hesitant speaker, so he might have started to say or meant to say, "Her accomplishments...," before realizing he had better include Shoni's sister in his compliment, and then just stumbled by leaving out "accomplishments" (or a similar noun) after including Jude, the sister.

I try to watch my pronouns & subject-verb agreement when I speak, though I know I don't always succeed. (That's probably the main reason I find so jarring "they" used as a singular pronoun to avoid ascribing a gender to a person. He is, she is, "they is"???)

I credit the reporter for (evidently) quoting Obama accurately, rather than doing what used to make me crazy -- reporters cleaning up remarks by Trump and Sarah Palin, for instance, so the remarks made some sense or at least sounded somewhat coherent.

I don't mind cutting some slack to people who often have to speak publicly under pressure or time constraints, but Trump and Palin are among those who are ridiculous, and I don't think reporters should try to decipher their word salad & present coherent interpretations to readers.

March 16, 2023 | Registered CommenterMarie Burns
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